Even Jimmy Carter thinks Obama 'waited too long' to act against ISIS

Even Jimmy Carter thinks Obama &#039;waited too long&#039; to act against ISIS

(Image credit: Brian Kersey/Getty Images)

last updated 8 January 2015

Former president Jimmy Carter doesn't exactly approve of President Obama's handling of the situation in the Middle East, reported the Star-Telegram in Fort Worth, Texas, in an interview published Tuesday. Carter, whose foreign policy legacy is perhaps most marked by the bungled Iran hostage crisis, said that Obama's Mideast strategy wavers too much and specifically criticized the president's response to the ISIS threat.

"First of all, we waited too long," Carter told the Star-Telegram. "We let the Islamic State build up its money, capability, and strength and weapons while it was still in Syria. Then when [ISIS] moved into Iraq, the Sunni Muslims didn't object to their being there."

Instead, Carter suggested, Obama should have taken action earlier. He also noted that two of Obama's former secretaries of defense have criticized the president's foreign policy since leaving the administration. Carter did say, however, that Obama's current plan of U.S.-led airstrikes against the militant group shows a "possibility of success" — but only if ground troops are deployed to follow up the strikes, something Obama has repeatedly promised would not be the case.